Most Popular Books by Ken Sharp

Nothin'' to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975) chronicles, for the first time, the crucial formative years of the legendary rock band KISS, culminating with the groundbreaking success of their classic 1975 album Alive! and the smash single "Rock and Roll All Nite," a song that nearly four decades later remains one of rock''s most enduring anthems. Drawing on more than two hundred interviews, the book offers a captivating and intimate fly-on-the-wall account of their launch, charting the struggles and ultimate victories that led them to the threshold of superstardom. Constructed as an oral history, the book includes original interviews with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, as well as with producers; engineers; management; record company personnel; roadies; club owners; booking agents; concert promoters; costume, stage, and art designers; rock photographers; publicists; and key music journalists. Many of KISS''s musical contemporaries from the time, most of whom shared concert bills with the band on their early tours, also lend their perspective via new interviews; these include Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent, as well as members of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Rush, Slade, Blue Öyster Cult, Mott the Hoople, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Raspberries, The James Gang, The New York Dolls, Iggy & the Stooges, The Ramones, Suzi Quatro, Argent, and Uriah Heep, among others. The result is an indelible and irresistible portrait of a band on the rise and of the music scene they changed forever.

Oral history of the making of Double Fantasy and account of Lennon''s last days.

July 31, 1969 marks an historic milestone in Elvis''s career. Bolstered by the runaway success of the ''68 Comeback show and energized by productive recording sessions at American Sound Studios, which would spawn such timeless hits as "Suspicious Minds", "In The Ghetto" and "Don''t Cry Daddy," Elvis launched his return to live performance at Las Vegas''s International Hotel in the summer of 1969. "Elvis: Vegas ''69" commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis''s historic return to live performance. Written by Ken Sharp, the book tells the remarkable story of Elvis''s return to the concert stage told through first-hand accounts by those lucky enough to be on hand to witness Elvis''s miraculous artistic and creative rebirth. Culling 100 new interviews, the 60,000 word text offers a gripping account of this seminal event told by the people who were there including Priscilla Presley, Elvis''s TCB bandmates, the Sweet Inspirations, the Imperials, the Memphis Mafia, celebrities in attendance, International hotel personnel including owner Kirk Kerkorian, hotel President Alex Shoofey, publicity and showroom staff, security, international media and much more. Learn the backstory behind what led to Elvis''s triumphant return to live performance. You''ll go behind closed doors with Elvis and the band in pre-show rehearsals and revel in the excitement and anticipation of opening night. We''ll also exhaustively chronicle the opening show on July 31, 1969 through the eyes of the people that were there, press conference, after show celebration and more. Packed with over 150 stunning full color and B&W images, many culled from the Graceland archives, vintage Vegas/Elvis concert memorabilia, a ''69 show index and much more, the book will transport the reader back to the Strip for one of the most electrifying moments in Elvis''s monumental career.

A BIOGRAFIA OFICIAL DO KISS ESTÁ DE VOLTA! Este é o relato definitivo e minucioso de um dos maiores fenômenos do rock. Nesta biografia oficial autorizada, os autores David Leaf e Ken Sharp tiveram acesso total ao Kiss e às pessoas que o rodeiam. Leia as histórias reais e sem censura de Gene Simmons, o incendiário Demon; Paul Stanley, o acrobático Starchild; Ace Frehley, o Spaceman; e Peter Criss, o baterista Catman. "Kiss: por Trás da Máscara" é leitura obrigatória para a legião de fãs, porque capta, verdadeiramente, o espírito inimitável e exuberante dos ousados rapazes que deram aos Estados Unidos seu segundo hino nacional, "Rock and Roll All Nite".

SOUND EXPLOSION INSIDE L.A.S STUDIO FACTORY WITH THE WRECKING CREW

Nothing To Lose: The Making Of KISS (1972 -1975) relate pour la première fois les années capitales dans la formation de KISS, groupe de rock légendaire, avec, pour point d''orgue, le succès international de « Rock And Roll All Nite », un titre qui, quarante ans plus tard, demeure un hymne rock indestructible. Rassemblant plus de deux cents interviews, cet ouvrage propose le compte rendu captivant, intime et pris sur le vif de leurs débuts, relatant leurs batailles et leurs premières victoires jusqu''au statut de superstars. Compilant les interviews de Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley et Peter Criss, ainsi que de producteurs, d''ingénieurs du son, de managers, d''employés de maisons de disques, de roadies, de propriétaires de clubs, d''agents de réservation, de promoteurs de concerts, de designers, de photographes, de publicitaires, de journalistes et de musiciens avec lesquels KISS partagea l''affiche comme Alice Cooper ou Blue Öyster Cult, les New York Dolls ou les Ramones, c''est le récit de l''ascension d''un groupe irrésistible et inoubliable qui écrivit son nom en lettres de feu au panthéon du rock. « Un livre électrisant sur le groupe qui a changé l''histoire du rock''n''roll en restant droit dans ses bottes pour imprimer sa marque d''éclairs heavy metal. J''approuve ! » - Joe Perry, Aerosmith. « Ce texte est la véritable histoire du rêve américain rock''n''roll » - Ted Nugent. « Vous qui croyiez tout savoir sur KISS… vous aviez tort. Retraçant les débuts de KISS, Nothing To Lose propose le son de cloche de ses membres, de leurs amis, d''acteurs de l''industrie du disque - dont votre humble serviteur ! Si vous voulez découvrir comment Gene Simmons a appris à cracher du feu et quel a été le premier maquillage de Paul Stanley, ce livre est pour vous. » - Alice Cooper

After three decades of wild dedication, this official authorized biography provides Kiss fans their first real look inside one of rock and roll''s most extraordinary bands.

O cenário musical dos anos 1970 foi marcado pelos homens maquiados e com roupas espalhafatosas. Quando levaram essas características ao extremo, Gene Simmons e Paul Stanley ficaram a um passo de criar o Kiss. Com maquiagem, roupas chamativase botas plataforma se transformaram em figuras paradoxais: cativantes e assustadoras ao mesmo tempo. Simmons virou Demon, e Stanley se tornou Starchild. Aos dois, juntaram-se Space Man (Ace Frehley) e Catman (Peter Criss). Com duas dezenas de discos lançados e 100 milhões de cópias vendidas, o Kiss é praticamente uma instituição do rock. Em mais de 40 anos de carreira, seu legado parece inesgotável, e sua legião de fãs, inacabável. Para explicar o Kiss, o jornalista Ken Sharp, com a colaboração de Stanley e Simmons, vasculhou o passado atrás de material exclusivo e histórias inéditas. E descobriu muito. Mais de 200 entrevistas depois, o resultado é Nothin'' To Lose, um relato íntimo e original sobre os passos iniciais da banda que conseguiu reinventar o rock. O livro narra, pela primeira vez e com detalhes notáveis, os anos de formação do Kiss, entre 1972 e 1975, culminando com seu primeiro grande sucesso, o lançamento do álbum Alive! e do hino Rock and Roll All Nite. Construído como um bate-papo, Nothin'' To Lose inclui entrevistas com Ace Frehley e Peter Criss, bem como com produtores, engenheiros de som, roadies, proprietários de clubes e outras figuras importantes do meio musical. Artistas contemporâneos do Kiss também nos brindam com seus relatos: Alice Cooper, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Noddy Holder (Slade), entre outros.

After three decades of wild dedication, this official authorized biography provides Kiss fans their first real look inside one of rock and roll''s most extraordinary bands.

Institutionsof higher education, including community colleges are subject to increased pressure to reduce their costs. The purpose of this study is to determine what factors relate to community college costs, to determine if community colleges experience economies of scale, and how both costs and economies of scale are related to the 2005 Carnegie classifications. The data used in this study was derived from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Post Secondary Data System (IPEDS). Data was selected for odd years from the 1987 through 2003 data sets. Average cost-per-student FTE acted as the dependent variable for the study for a quadratic cost function. A total of 15 independent variables were examined including: six variables related to services provided by the institution; four variables representing the outputs of community colleges; and five variables representing the inputs. Dummy variables were created for the Carnegie classifications. A series of fixed effects and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were run to examine the relationship between the independent variables and average cost-per-student FTE. The existence of economies of scale was examined as was how these relationships are influenced by Carnegie classification. The relationship between institutional characteristics and costs was found to vary based on Carnegie classification. Further, the choice of data and regression selected (fixed effects or OLS) also impacted the results. Results indicated a range of from two to ten significant variables based on Carnegie classification, data and regression type. The institutional size associated with the lowest average cost-per-student FTE was found to be related to Carnegie classification. The point at which institutions cease to experience economies of scale ranged from 6,445 to 47,346 with the medium rural institution classification being associated with lowest values. In all but one instance, the point at which institutions cease experiencing economies of scale is higher than the largest institution in the classification. This implies that all institutions are capable of growing while still experiencing a decreasing average-cost-per-student FTE. In terms of average-cost-per-student FTE, branch campuses of four-year institutions have the lowest average-cost-per-student while urban-multi-campus institutions have the highest average-cost-per-student FTE.

"The musical legacy of David Bowie is acclaimed as among the most inventive and groundbreaking in rock history. Bowie''s 1971 release, Hunky Dory has garnered lofty praise, voted by Time magazine as one of the top 100 albums of all-time. Kooks, Queen Bitches, and Andy Warhol: The Making of David Bowie''s Hunky Dory chronicles the fascinating back story behind that celebrated album. Constructed as an oral history, the book culls revelatory interviews with scores of the album''s key participants for an all-encompassing look at this seminal release. Among those interviewed include Bowie''s band, producer Ken Scott, RCA Records personnel plus countless others along with archival commentary from David Bowie and the late Mick Ronson."--Back cover.

Well he was sixteen, and sick of school. He didn''t know what he wanted to do. He bought a guitar. He got the fever. That''s rock and roll.From his formative musical beginnings in Cleveland, Ohio, to his chart-toppers with Raspberries, "Go All The Way," "I Wanna Be With You," and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," to his solo career smashes, "All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again," ''Hungry Eyes," and "Make Me Lose Control," Eric Carmen, who many have rightfully proclaimed the father of power pop, has proven himself a musical genius with few equals.For the first time ever, this definitive biography chronicles the compelling story of a two-and-a-half-year-old child prodigy who dreamed of becoming the next John Lennon, Paul McCartney, or Mick Jagger. What he really wanted was a hit record (yeah)! He got it, and more, in a career that spanned four decades.Exhaustively researched, this authorized biography showcases exclusive interviews with Eric, fellow bandmates, producers, musical contemporaries, as well as family and friends, and is profusely illustrated with over 100 rare and previously unpublished photographs.Eric Carmen: Marathon Man celebrates the life, music, and inspiration of one of the world''s most talented musicians.